Role of transforming growth factor-β in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has a high degree of malignancy, an insidious onset, and rapid progression, with no obvious abdominal manifestations and signs in the early stage. Most patients are already in the advanced stage and have distant organ metastasis at the time of diagnosis, and thus surgical treatment, chemoradiotherapy, and targeted drug therapy often have an unsatisfactory clinical effect. Recent studies have shown that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is closely associated with the development and of tumors and plays a key role in the processes of tumor cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis. Although TGF-β signal can exert a powerful inhibitory effect on tumors through SMAD-mediated cell cycle arrest, TGF-β signal can also accelerate the development of pancreatic cancer by enhancing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, fibrosis, and immune escape. In this article, pancreatic cancer specifically refers to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and this article reviews the role of TGF-β in its signal transduction and the association of TGF-β with related factors and immune response, so as to provide a theoretical basis for targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer in the future.